warm line
n.— «One of the new ways parents are being included is through phone calls such as the ones Ball gets from time to time. It’s sometimes referred to as a “warm line.” Calls can be made by any number of people—someone such as Doody, or a volunteer with a military family centre or even an officer from the soldier’s unit. “Some are doing it weekly, at least monthly,” says Doody. “We’re reaching out through phone lines just to say “How you doing? Is there anything the Military Family Resource Centre can do for you?” (It’s) to let them know they’re not forgotten.» —“Military reaches out to families of Canadian soldiers on Afghan mission” in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Canadian Press Apr. 19, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what’s called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species. A book about the end of the universe...